U.S. patent application number 12/176395 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-21 for project tracking software with compact visual elements that indicate task completion and overdue status.
Invention is credited to Glenn H. Farrell, Gary J. Rhodes.
Application Number | 20100017738 12/176395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41531369 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100017738 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rhodes; Gary J. ; et
al. |
January 21, 2010 |
PROJECT TRACKING SOFTWARE WITH COMPACT VISUAL ELEMENTS THAT
INDICATE TASK COMPLETION AND OVERDUE STATUS
Abstract
A user interface and method of use thereof are disclosed that
provide a compact and efficient overview of the status of a
plurality of projects by using variable qualities of sub-task
elements instead of a time-proportional timeline to indicate
whether a sub-task is complete, not due, or overdue. Preferred
embodiments present a grid of cells with projects in rows and
sub-tasks in columns or vice-versa, and use variable qualities of
cells to indicate completeness, time remaining, and/or degrees of
lateness. A discrete set or a continuous range of variable
qualities can indicate degrees of earliness or lateness, and can be
chosen or defined by a user. Embodiments allow a user to input a
deadline and/or completion status for a sub-task. In some method
embodiments, the software operates on a server and the user
interface is presented by a client communicating with the server
over a network or the internet.
Inventors: |
Rhodes; Gary J.;
(Springfield, IL) ; Farrell; Glenn H.; (Peoria,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Russ Weinzimmer
614 Nashua Street, Suite 53
Milford
NH
03055
US
|
Family ID: |
41531369 |
Appl. No.: |
12/176395 |
Filed: |
July 20, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/772 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/772 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/048 20060101
G06F003/048 |
Claims
1. An article of manufacture for displaying status information
regarding at least one project, each project including a plurality
of sub-tasks with associated deadlines, each sub-task being overdue
if it has not been completed and the associated deadline has
passed, the article of manufacture comprising: computer-readable
media containing software that is able to direct the actions of a
computer so as to cause the computer to present a user interface
displaying a plurality of visual sub-task elements, each of the
visual sub-task elements corresponding to a specific sub-task of a
specific project; and each of the visual sub-task elements
indicating at least whether the corresponding sub-task is one of:
completed; not completed and not overdue; and not completed and
overdue.
2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements convey information using only alphanumeric
characters.
3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements convey information using features that are not
alphanumeric.
4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements are cells arranged in rows and columns such that
one of following cases is true: the rows correspond to projects and
the columns correspond to sub-tasks; and the columns correspond to
projects and the rows correspond to sub-tasks.
5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the visual sub-task elements includes an alphanumeric indication of
one of: an amount of time until the deadline associated with the
corresponding sub-task will be reached; and an amount of time that
has elapsed since the deadline associated with the corresponding
sub-task was reached.
6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the amount of
time is expressed in at least one of: hours; days; weeks; months;
and years.
7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements convey information using at least one of: a
color; a shading; a cross-hatching pattern; a blinking rate; a
visual sub-task element size; a visual sub-task orientation; a
visual sub-task configuration; an alphanumeric indication; a choice
of font; and a pop-up indication activated by a pointing
device.
8. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements convey information using at least three discrete
visual indications.
9. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the visual
sub-task elements convey information using a visual indication
having a continuously variable quality.
10. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the user
interface further includes a visual indication selection feature
that enables a user to define visual indications available for use
by the visual sub-task elements.
11. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the user
interface further includes an input feature that enables a user to
input at least one of a deadline associated with a sub-task and a
completion status of a sub-task.
12. A method for displaying status information regarding at least
one project, each project including a plurality of sub-tasks with
associated deadlines, each sub-task being overdue if it has not
been completed and the associated deadline has passed, the method
comprising: operating a computer controlled by software, the
software being able to present a user interface which includes a
plurality of visual sub-task elements, each of the visual sub-task
elements corresponding to a specific sub-task of a specific
project; and each of the visual sub-task elements indicating at
least whether the corresponding sub-task is one of: completed; not
completed and not overdue; and not completed and overdue.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
convey information using only alphanumeric characters.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
convey information using features that are not alphanumeric.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
are cells arranged in rows and columns such that one of following
cases is true: the rows correspond to projects and the columns
correspond to sub-tasks; and the columns correspond to projects and
the rows correspond to sub-tasks.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the visual
sub-task elements includes an alphanumeric indication of one of: an
amount of time until the deadline associated with the corresponding
sub-task will be reached; and an amount of time that has elapsed
since the deadline associated with the corresponding sub-task was
reached.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of time is expressed
in at least one of: hours; days; weeks; months; and years.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
convey information using at least one of: a color; a shading; a
cross-hatching pattern; a blinking rate; a visual sub-task element
size; a visual sub-task orientation; a visual sub-task
configuration; an alphanumeric indication; a choice of font; and a
pop-up indication activated by a pointing device.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
convey information using at least three discrete visual
indications.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual sub-task elements
convey information using a visual indication having a continuously
variable quality.
21. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface further
includes a visual indication selection feature that enables a user
to define visual indications available for use by the visual
sub-task elements.
22. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface further
includes an input feature that enables a user to input at least one
of a deadline associated with a sub-task and a completion status of
a sub-task.
23. The method of claim 12, wherein the software operates at least
partly on a server computer and the user interface is displayed on
a client computer that is in communication with the server computer
through a network.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the network is the internet.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention generally relates to the management of
projects, and more specifically to computer software user
interfaces that display the status of projects.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Modern life is getting faster and more complicated. People
are expected to accomplish more and more, quicker than ever before.
New product developments that used to take years now require weeks.
Ad campaigns are executed, movies launched, buildings erected,
websites built, all in a fraction of the time these projects
formerly required. The complexity of individual projects is growing
too. More functionality is required and more compatibility issues
need to be addressed, frequently in light of complex, international
regulatory requirements.
[0003] It is often convenient to manage a project by dividing the
project into sub-tasks that must be completed so as to complete the
project as a whole. For example, sub-tasks required so as to
construct a building may include approval of architectural
drawings, ordering of materials, digging the foundation, pouring
the foundation, erecting the frame, and so forth.
[0004] Software tools are often used to track and manage the
progress and status of projects. These software tools typically
display graphs and/or charts that provide a visual overview of an
entire project and of the status of the various sub-tasks included
in the project. One common type of chart used for displaying the
status of a project is a so-called Ghant chart, which provides a
horizontal, time-proportional timeline and displays the relative
timing of various sub-tasks of a project by indicating them as
horizontal lines or bars according to the expected and/or actual
start and end dates for the sub-tasks. Typically, the sub-tasks are
offset vertically from one another so as to avoid overlap, and a
degree of completeness is indicated on the lines or bars. Other
types of graphs, charts, and checklists are used to provide
overviews of projects, most of which use time-proportional
timelines to provide visual representations of the on-time or
overdue status of sub-tasks.
[0005] These approaches typically suffer from two limitations.
First, they do not easily display the status of sub-tasks with
widely varying completion times. For example, if a sub-task
requiring many months to complete is followed in a Ghant chart by
several sub-tasks that are vital to the project but each require
only a day or two to complete, the shorter duration sub-tasks may
be visibly overshadowed by the long duration sub-task, making it
difficult to visually grasp the overall status of the project.
[0006] The second limitation is that these approaches are not
easily adapted to simultaneously displaying multiple projects.
Sometimes it is desirable to manage a family of similar, but
independent projects that take place concurrently. For example, a
sales manager may wish to oversee the progress of all current sales
cases in his department, where each sales case typically progresses
through the same basic set of steps, such as initial contact,
mailing of marketing literature, site visit, submission of a bid,
and final acceptance or rejection of the bid. Ghant charts and many
other commonly used graphical methods for displaying the status of
projects are not easily adapted to such situations. A Ghant chart,
for example, relies on displaying sub-tasks in separate rows, so as
to avoid graphical overlap of concurrent subtasks. If, for example,
each project requires five rows in a Ghant chart, and if it is
desired to track 20 such projects, then it becomes difficult or
impossible using Ghant charts to display the status of all of the
projects on a single page or screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A user interface and method of use thereof are claimed that
are able to conveniently and compactly provide an overview of the
status of a plurality of projects. The user interface displays a
plurality of visual sub-task elements, with each visual sub-task
element corresponding to a sub-task of a project, and avoids the
drawbacks inherent in approaches based on time-proportional
timelines by changing a visible quality of the sub-task elements
instead of using a time-proportional timeline to indicate whether
each sub-task is complete, not complete and not overdue, or not
complete and overdue. Preferred embodiments further indicate
degrees of lateness and/or degrees of earliness.
[0008] The visual sub-task elements can be graphical elements, such
as cells in a table, or they can be alphanumeric elements, such as
text elements arranged in rows and columns. The changeable visible
quality of the sub-task elements can be a background color, a
degree of shading, a pattern of cross-hatching, a visual sub-task
element size, a rate of blinking, an alphanumeric character, a
choice of font, or any other quality that readily indicates a
completion or overdue status. The lack of a time-proportional
timeline allows the visual sub-task elements to be sized and
arranged in a convenient manner that avoids overlap and presents
the status of the plurality of projects in a compact and easily
interpreted manner.
[0009] In preferred embodiments the visual sub-task elements are
cells arranged in a table, with each row representing a project. In
some of these embodiments where each of the projects includes the
same set of sub-tasks, each column represents one of the sub-tasks.
In similar embodiments, each column represents a project, and in
some of these embodiments each row represents a sub-task. Each cell
includes a changeable quality such as a background color, that can
be used to indicate if the associated sub-task is completed, not
yet due, modestly overdue, very overdue, not applicable, and so
forth. A number or alphanumeric string can also be included in a
cell to indicate how much time remains before the associated
sub-task is due, or how much time has elapsed since the associated
sub-task was due.
[0010] One general aspect of the invention is an article of
manufacture for displaying status information regarding at least
one project, each project including a plurality of sub-tasks with
associated deadlines, each sub-task being overdue if it has not
been completed and the associated deadline has passed. The article
of manufacture includes computer-readable media containing software
that is able to direct the actions of a computer so as to cause the
computer to present a user interface displaying a plurality of
visual sub-task elements. Each of the visual sub-task elements
corresponds to a specific sub-task of a specific project, and each
of the visual sub-task elements indicates at least whether the
corresponding sub-task is completed, not completed and not overdue,
or not completed and overdue.
[0011] In some preferred embodiments, the visual sub-task elements
convey information using only alphanumeric characters, while in
other preferred elements the visual sub-task elements convey
information using features that are not alphanumeric.
[0012] In preferred embodiments the visual sub-task elements are
cells arranged in rows and columns such that one of following cases
is true:
[0013] the rows correspond to projects and the columns correspond
to sub-tasks; or
[0014] the columns correspond to projects and the rows correspond
to sub-tasks.
[0015] In certain preferred embodiments, at least one of the visual
sub-task elements includes an alphanumeric indication of an amount
of time until the deadline associated with the corresponding
sub-task will be reached or an amount of time that has elapsed
since the deadline associated with the corresponding sub-task was
reached. In some of these embodiments the amount of time is
expressed in at least one of hours, days, weeks, months, and
years.
[0016] In various embodiments, the visual indication convey
information using at least one of the following:
[0017] a color;
[0018] a shading;
[0019] a cross-hatching pattern;
[0020] a blinking rate;
[0021] a visual sub-task element size;
[0022] a visual sub-task orientation;
[0023] a visual sub-task configuration;
[0024] an alphanumeric indication;
[0025] a choice of font; and
[0026] a pop-up indication activated by a pointing device.
[0027] In some preferred embodiments, the visual sub-task elements
convey information using at least three discrete visual
indications, while in other preferred embodiments the visual
sub-task elements convey information using a visual indication
having a continuously variable quality. And in certain preferred
embodiments the user interface further includes a visual indication
selection feature that enables a user to define visual indications
available for use by the visual sub-task elements.
[0028] In preferred embodiments the user interface further includes
an input feature that enables a user to input at least one of a
deadline associated with a sub-task and a completion status of a
sub-task.
[0029] A second general aspect of the invention is a method for
displaying status information regarding at least one project, each
project including a plurality of sub-tasks with associated
deadlines, each sub-task being overdue if it has not been completed
and the associated deadline has passed, the method including
operating a computer controlled by software, the software being
able to present a user interface that includes a plurality of
visual sub-task elements. Each of the visual sub-task elements
corresponds to a specific sub-task of a specific project; and each
of the visual sub-task elements indicates at least whether the
corresponding sub-task is completed, not completed and not overdue,
or not completed and overdue.
[0030] In some preferred embodiments, the visual sub-task elements
convey information using only alphanumeric characters, while in
other preferred elements the visual sub-task elements convey
information using features that are not alphanumeric.
[0031] In preferred embodiments the visual sub-task elements are
cells arranged in rows and columns such that one of following cases
is true:
[0032] the rows correspond to projects and the columns correspond
to sub-tasks; or
[0033] the columns correspond to projects and the rows correspond
to sub-tasks.
[0034] In certain preferred embodiments, at least one of the visual
sub-task elements includes an alphanumeric indication of an amount
of time until the deadline associated with the corresponding
sub-task will be reached or an amount of time that has elapsed
since the deadline associated with the corresponding sub-task was
reached. In some of these embodiments the amount of time is
expressed in at least one of hours, days, weeks, months, and
years.
[0035] In various embodiments, the visual indication convey
information using at least one of the following:
[0036] a color;
[0037] a shading;
[0038] a cross-hatching pattern;
[0039] a blinking rate;
[0040] a visual sub-task element size;
[0041] a visual sub-task orientation;
[0042] a visual sub-task configuration;
[0043] an alphanumeric indication;
[0044] a choice of font; and
[0045] a pop-up indication activated by a pointing device.
[0046] In some preferred embodiments, the visual sub-task elements
convey information using at least three discrete visual
indications, while in other preferred embodiments the visual
sub-task elements convey information using a visual indication
having a continuously variable quality. And in certain preferred
embodiments the user interface further includes a visual indication
selection feature that enables a user to define visual indications
available for use by the visual sub-task elements.
[0047] In preferred embodiments the user interface further includes
an input feature that enables a user to input at least one of a
deadline associated with a sub-task and a completion status of a
sub-task.
[0048] In certain preferred embodiments of this general aspect, the
software operates at least partly on a server computer and the user
interface is displayed on a client computer that is in
communication with the server computer through a network. And in
some of these embodiments, the network is the internet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0049] FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein
projects are indicated as rows of graphical cells in a table, with
each project having a unique set of sub-tasks;
[0050] FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment similar to the embodiment
of FIG. 1A, wherein projects are indicated as rows of alphanumeric
entries in a table, with each project having a unique set of
sub-tasks;
[0051] FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein
projects are indicated as rows in a table, with all projects having
the same set of sub-tasks, such that each column represents one of
the sub-tasks;
[0052] FIG. 2B presents a close-up view of a group of cells from
FIG. 2A that include numerical indications of time remaining until
due or time past due; and
[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface that enables a
user to select background colors to be used as variable qualities
of sub-task elements to indicate degrees of completeness and
lateness in a preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0054] The invention is a user interface that displays a plurality
of visual sub-task elements to a user, each visual sub-task element
corresponding to a sub-task of a project. The invention uses
changes in visible qualities of the sub-task elements rather than a
time-proportional timeline to visually indicate degrees of
completeness and/or lateness, thereby allowing the visual sub-task
elements to be configured and arranged in a convenient fashion
regardless of their relative timing or durations.
[0055] Depending on the embodiment, the user interface of the
present invention can be displayed on any electronic display,
including the screen of a computer, such as a personal computer, or
on the display of a hand-held device such as a personal digital
assistant "PDA," cell phone, or similar device. The computer or
other electronic device that generates the user interface can be a
local device, or it can be a server computer or other electronic
device that is in communication by wired or wireless means with the
electronic display, for example over the internet over the
telephone network, or over some other network.
[0056] FIG. 1A illustrates a preferred embodiment in which the
visual sub-task elements are graphical cells of equal size arranged
in rows and columns. Each row 100, 102, 104, 106 corresponds to a
project, and each cell within each row corresponds to a sub-task
that must be performed so as to complete the project.
[0057] In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1A, each project is
divided into its own unique set of sub-tasks, which are generally
unrelated to the sub-tasks of the other projects. Each cell
includes text that indicates the nature of the sub-task, while the
columns are labeled only generically as "Task 1," Task 2," etc 108.
A column at the far left of the table 110 indicates the name of
each project. Right-clicking on any cell causes display of a menu
(not shown) that allows input of a due date for the corresponding
sub-task and allows the status of the sub-task to be changed to
"completed" or "not completed."
[0058] Although the cells in the embodiment of FIG. 1A are of equal
size, this does not imply that all of the sub-tasks require equal
amounts of time to complete, nor does the fact that sub-tasks are
arranged in columns imply that cells in the same column represent
sub-tasks that are expected to be undertaken and/or completed
concurrently. And while the arrangement of the cells within the
rows might typically be according to the order in which they are
expected to be completed, a user is free to arrange them in any
desired order.
[0059] Cross-hatching is used in the embodiment of FIG. 1A to
indicate whether a sub-task is completed, not yet completed and not
yet overdue, or not yet completed and overdue. A completed sub-task
is indicated by cross-hatching from upper left to lower right (see
for example the "Choose Color" and "Buy Paint" sub-tasks in the
"Paint Deck" project 100), while a sub-task that is not completed
and is overdue is indicated by cross-hatching from upper right to
lower left (see for example the "Clear Deck" sub-task of the "Paint
Deck" project 100). Sub-tasks that are not completed and not yet
overdue are indicated by a white background without cross-hatching
(see for example the "Apply Paint" cell in the "Paint Deck" project
100).
[0060] In the specific example of FIG. 1A, four household projects
are being tracked. Painting the deck 100 has been divided into four
sub-tasks, Choose Color, Buy Paint, Clear Deck, and Apply Paint. It
can readily be seen from the displayed user interface that the
color has been chosen and the paint has been purchased, but
clearing the deck is overdue, while the deadline for applying the
paint has not yet arrived. The second project, fixing the window
102, has similarly been divided into four sub-tasks, and it can be
seen that the first two tasks, measuring the glass and buying the
glass, have been completed, while the deadlines for the second two
tasks, removing the old glass and installing the new glass, have
not yet arrived.
[0061] The third project in the example of FIG. 1A, Purchase
Computer 104, has been divided into only three sub-tasks, all of
which have been completed, and the fourth project, Do Laundry 106,
has been divided into four sub-tasks, none of which have been
finished, although the first sub-task is overdue.
[0062] FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment that uses only
alphanumeric visual elements to track projects. The figure uses the
same set of project examples as FIG. 1A. Instead of cross-hatching,
this embodiment uses alphanumeric characters and features to
indicate whether a sub-task is completed, not completed and not
overdue, or not completed and overdue. A sub-task name in square
brackets indicates that the sub-task has been completed. See for
example "Choose Color" and "Buy Paint" in the "Paint Deck" project
100. A sub-task name in bold indicates that the sub-task is not
completed and overdue, and a sub-task name in italics indicates
that a sub-task is not completed and not yet due. For example, in
the "Paint Deck" project 100 "Clear Deck" is overdue while Apply
Paint is not yet due. In similar embodiments, numbers are used as
alphanumeric indications of lateness status, and some of these
embodiments also include alphanumeric expressions of units such as
"hours," "days," "weeks," etc.
[0063] Embodiments such as the one illustrated in FIG. 1B that use
only alphanumeric characters and alphanumeric properties can be
optimal when the status of a project is to be presented on a
display that is small, low in resolution, and/or unable to display
colors. Examples include some hand-held devices, such as certain
PDA's, cell phones, and hand-held computers.
[0064] FIG. 2A presents a graphical user interface from an
embodiment that tracks projects which share a common set of
sub-tasks. The example illustrated in the figure is a sales
process, wherein each "project" is a separate sales case. As in
FIG. 1A, the sub-tasks are represented by cells of equal size
arranged in rows and columns, where each row represents a project.
In this embodiment, each sub-task is represented by a column, with
the sub-task names 200 indicated at the tops of the columns. For
example, the first column 202 contains all of the cells that
correspond to the "Phone Consultation with Client" sub-tasks, with
the "Phone Consultation with Client" sub-task of the first project
being represented by the cell in the first column 202 of the first
row 204. Information that identifies each project, or sales case in
this example, is presented to the left of the sub-task columns, and
includes a "client name" 206 and "spouse name" 208. An additional
column 210 presents information regarding "Agents" that have been
assigned to the sales cases.
[0065] FIG. 2B presents a close up view of the cells in the first
202 and second 212 columns of FIG. 2A. In this embodiment the
background color of each cell indicates its completion status.
Background colors are indicated in the figure with cross-hatching,
with left-leaning cross-hatching indicating green, right-leaning
cross-hatching indicating red, vertical cross-hatching indicating
yellow, and horizontal cross-hatching indicating blue. Overdue
sub-tasks are indicated by either of two background colors. If the
sub-task is only modestly overdue (less than 5 days), the
background color is yellow 216, while if it severely overdue (6
days or more), the background color is red 218. The degree of
lateness that triggers a red background is specified in each case
by the user.
[0066] It can be seen from the green background colors of the cells
in the first column 202 of sub-tasks that the first sub-task has
been completed for all four of the illustrated sales case projects.
On the other hand, it can be seen from the background colors in the
second column of sub-tasks 212 that none of the "Initial Thank-You
Letter Sent" sub-tasks has been completed, and they are overdue for
the first two sales cases. It can also be seen from blue background
color of the fifth column (214 in FIG. 2A) that the "Client Payment
Received" sub-task is not applicable to (i.e. is not a sub-task of)
the third sales case.
[0067] In similar embodiments, other colors or other changeable
sub-task element qualities are used to indicate sub-tasks that have
been completed ahead of schedule. In other embodiments, a
continuous range of colors or another variable sub-task element
quality is used to visually indicate the degree to which a sub-task
is overdue. For example, the background color can change
continuously from yellow to orange to red as the sub-task becomes
more and more overdue. In some preferred embodiments, color schemes
or other changeable sub-task element qualities can be chosen and/or
designed by a user. And while changeable sub-task element qualities
are used uniformly for all cells in the embodiments of FIG. 1A,
FIG. 1B, FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2B, some embodiments allow different
changeable sub-task element qualities to be assigned to different
visual sub-task elements or different groups of visual sub-task
elements.
[0068] The overdue cells 216, 218 in FIG. 2B also include positive
numbers 220 that indicate the amount of time that has elapsed since
the corresponding sub-tasks were due, and cells that correspond to
sub-tasks not yet completed include negative numbers 222 that
indicate the amounts of time remaining until the sub-tasks are due.
In the example of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the numbers indicate numbers of
days, while in other embodiments numbers of weeks or months can be
indicated. In some embodiments, units are alphanumerically
indicated (e.g. days, weeks, or months) in the cells together with
the numbers. For example, some embodiments would indicate "6 Days"
instead of just "6" in the first cell of the second column 218.
[0069] FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface that enables a
user to specify how colors will be used in a preferred embodiment
to indicate whether a sub-task has been completed, has not
completed and is not overdue, or has not been completed and is
overdue. The colors to be used are indicated in the first column
300 of a table, while the completion status or degree of lateness
to which each color will apply is indicated in the next two columns
302, 304. Units are indicated in the final column 306. In the
example presented, a green background color indicates a completed
sub-task, a yellow background color indicates a sub-task that is
between 1 and 3 days late, orange indicates a sub-task that is
between 4 and 7 days late, red indicates a sub-task that is between
1 and 4 weeks late, and violet indicates a sub-task that is more
than a month late. Blue is used to indicate that a sub-task does
not apply to a project. In other preferred embodiments similar user
interfaces apply methods well known in the art to enable a user to
specify a continuous range of colors or other changeable sub-task
element qualities that can indicate completion and overdue
status.
[0070] Other modifications and implementations will occur to those
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope
of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the above description is
not intended to limit the invention except as indicated in the
following claims.
* * * * *